A Rebel Within Ranks
by Spector7
Summary: When Rex brings home a small nine-year-old boy he found on a Separatist's base, he didn't know about the boy's power. Now that the boy is older, things start to get complicated after he accidentally kills one of the Jedi Masters. Soon, Rex must make a hard decision. I don't own Clone Wars or the image that I used. All rights go to their owners. ** Currently on hiatus **
1. Son of the Force

**Hello everyone! Thanks for reading this! I'm soooooo glad you're interested!**

 **This is my first Clone Wars fic, so please cut me some slack. Star Wars Rebels is my primary fandom, but I LOVE clone troopers!**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

"Rex?" Captain Rex's wristcomm buzzed with Anakin's voice. "Are the bombs almost in place?"

"Almost, sir," was rex's reply as he placed another bomb in the hall of the Separatist's base. He continued down the walk to the next strategic spot to place the bomb. He stopped when his "spot" was blocked off by a door… _that was unlocked._ He could vaguely hear voices inside. They went on for a few more seconds—too muffled to understand—before the abruptly stopped. Frowning, Rex opened the door. Two battle droids were standing guard and chatting about General Greivous's new hand. Another had an electrocuted staff and was poised over something small and whimpering. None of them noticed the clone when he opened the door.

Not taking any chances, he quickly shot all three droids and stepped inside, blasters raised. He looked around the room. It was fairly empty except for a small figure hiding in the shadows. He slowly got closer to the figure—fingering the triggers—until he could make out what or who it was. He was shocked to find a small nine-year-old boy chained to the wall and cowering in fear. Shaking his head in bewilderment, he holstered his blasters and took a step closer. The boy whimpered and crawled away from Rex, yanking at his restraint. He seemed oblivious to the fact that the cuff was digging into his wrist and had started drawing blood.

"It's okay," Rex soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy continued to pull away. It didn't take the clone too long to realize that the boy wasn't looking at him but rather at someone behind him. Before he could react, and invisible hand clasped around his throat.

"So nice of you to join me, Captain Rex," Dooku greeted in an icy tone. He looked at the cowering boy. "I see you have met my little weapon." He laughed at Rex's horror. "Yes, I am sure you are surprised to hear that this little boy is more powerful than all of your Jedi and clone troopers. He is obedient and powerful." He turned to the boy. "Show our guest your power, my little weapon. Finish him."

The boy looked from Rex to Dooku and back, his eyes wide with terror. He shook his head.

Dooku growled with rage and slammed Rex into a wall. He stalked towards the terrified boy. "I said _finish him!_ That's an order!" he slapped the boy.

Rex—dazed—looked up just in time to see Dooku slap the boy. Without another thought, he grabbed his blaster and stood up, took aim, and fired. It hit the apprentice hard enough to knock him unconscious. Satisfied with his work, Rex walked over to where the boy hid. He eased closer, whispering kind words in a gentle voice. He got close enough and reached out to examine the binders.

"I'm going to take these off of you, okay?"

The boy stared up at him and Rex got a good look at him face. it was stained with blood and dirt. Cuts littered his whole body, complimented with bruises. What caught the clone's eye most, though, was his blue and black hair and bright blue eyes. As he stared back at Rex, the clone could swear that the boy was looking into his soul in only a way that a Jedi could. Was this kid Force-sensitive?

"I'm taking these off," he repeated so as not to scare the kid.

The boy nodded. "'Kay," he responded.

Rex had the binders off within a few minutes. He examined the boy's cut wrists and frowned. "This'll take more than just a medkit to fix," he mumbled to himself.

The boy cocked his head. "What's a medkit?" he asked.

Rex looked at him, shocked. "You don't know what a medkit is?" he asked.

He shook his head.

"Medcenter?"

Another no.

"Medroid?!"

No.

Rex shook his head in disbelief. "What do they do if you get hurt?" he asked the boy.

The boy shrugged. "Nothing."

He stood up and grabbed for his blaster. _I can't just leave the boy here,_ he thought to himself. He held out a hand to the boy and took a step closer. Rex didn't know what he had done wrong, but the boy's eyes grew wide and he slammed Rex into a wall with surprising force. His eyes grew even wider when he realized that he hurt his rescuer. He rushed over to where Rex laid and gently tried to help the clone to his feet.

"You 'kay?" he asked in a small voice.

Rex laughed. "I didn't know that you packed quite a punch, kid. Are you a Padawan?"

The boy cocked his head. "What's a Padawan?"

"It's a—um—person that—well—you'd have to ask Master Skywalker," admitted. "Will you come with me?"

The boy nodded. "'Kay."

"What's your name?" Rex asked as the two walked through the halls.

The boy shrugged. "My little weapon?" he guessed. "That's the only name they ever gave me."

Rex laughed. "we need to give you a proper name, okay?"

The boy nodded. "'Kay."

That was when rex came up with the perfect name. "How about Kaye?" he suggested.

The boy—Kaye—smiled. "I like that!" he exclaimed happily.

Rex nodded. "well, Kaye, we need to get back to the transport. I'll introduce you to the other clones and general Skywalker, and we'll get those cuts taken care of, okay?"

Kaye smiled. "'Kay," he responded happily.

 **Sorry it was so short. I will try to post as often as I can and make the chapters longer than this. Anyway…what do you think? Did I do okay? Please review and let me know! Also, what do you think about Kaye? He's probably my favorite OC but I don't know if I developed him well enough. Is there something that you would like to see happen in this fic? And finally, who is your favorite clone trooper?**

 **May the Force be with you!**

 **-Spector7 out!**


	2. First Mission

**I am still with this fic! I just needed some time to think about good next chapter. Anywho, hope you enjoy and thanks for all your support!**

 **Jhthomas02hd: yes! I LOVE Fives and Echo! I like Wolf too but I think my favorite commando is either Rex, Fives, or Cody. And I defiantly will give Kaye a chance to show off.**

"As you can see, ma'am we have a very organized bunker here," Rex explained as he and Anakin's guest, Master Nupayana, walked down a hall in the bunkers. Rex was not prepared for a surprise inspection, so when a togrutan Jedi master and her Padawan showed up asking for a tour of the clone trooper barracks with poor Anakin too flustered to explain, Rex really didn't have a choice but to give the two the tour they requested.

Master Nupayana frowned at the clones leisurely walking from place to place, some without their helmets. "They act like they don't know a war is going on," she noted with distaste.

Rex paled under his helmet. "We try to keep a calm atmosphere in the barracks. Lots of the troopers go through a lot of stress during the war."

Nupayana shook her head, her head-tails swinging with the motion. "Even Jedi don't have that luxury. Why should clones?"

Rex didn't answer. The Jedi master had been like this during the whole tour. Every time he would point out something constructive Nupayana shot it down with an angry comment. Recently, she had taken a liking to comparing the barracks to the Jedi temple she lived in. Her young Chatniss Padawan remained silent, her large eyes and cat-like ears moving to take in every detail.

At least nothing REALLY bad had happened yet. He was wrong. A clone trooper came running down the hall at top speed, followed by a second trooper running at the same rate. The three managed to dodge the first soldier, but when the second came barreling past Nupayana grabbed his throat with the Force and held him several feet above the ground.

"Ma'am!" Rex shouted, worried for the trooper's well-being.

Master Nupayana glanced at the struggling trooper, then looked to the shocked faces of her companions. She lowered her arm and the clone crumpled to the floor. "Forgive me," she told the others. "I was merely acting out of self-defense."

Rex frowned as her Padawan gently helped the gasping clone to his feet. Blue and black hair fell across his face in a less-than-perfect way. His armor was painted in some places and stained with dirt in others. "Kaye!" he shouted at the clone trooper. "What is the meaning of this?"

By now the other clone had come back from the hall and watched curiously. Kaye hung his head in shame. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Me and Slicer were just running' and…" he trailed off.

Rex glared back. "What have I told you about that?"

Kaye nodded and started to walk off, but Master Nupayana held up a hand.

She turned to Rex. "Why isn't this clone off training, or on a mission?"

Rex blushed deeper beneath the helmet. "Well…you see—"

"Rex said that I'm not ready yet," Kaye spoke up.

The Jedi master frowned. "How old are you?"

"Five."

She turned back to Rex, her posture stiff. "What is the meaning of this?! This clone is more than ready to fight for the Republic. Why are you holding him back?"

Rex hesitated. He didn't know how to tell the Jedi master how he found Kaye or that he was too worried about him getting hurt or killed during a mission. He had grown attached to Kaye. "He's…different," Rex finally answered.

Nupayana frowned. "How so?"

"He's showed hints of Force-sensitivity," Rex admitted.

The Jedi's expression changed into that of pure interest. A smirk played on her lips. "Keep an eye on this one," she instructed. "Tell me about any and all changes in his powers. I will talk to Master Yoda about this development." She turned to leave, but paused. Without looking back, she addressed him once more. "I want him to be on the next mission."

Rex paled once more. "But—ma'am! That would be a mission to Geonosis! It's practically a suicide mission!"

Nupayana was already gone.

Rex sighed and turned to Kaye and Slicer standing awkwardly to the side. "You heard the general. Go prep for the mission."

The two ran off through the halls, ecstatic about finally getting a mission.

"And don't run!" Rex yelled.

* * *

"Hey, Kaye?"

Kaye glanced up from the floor, a helmet hiding his bright blue eyes.

"Nervous?" Slicer asked.

Kaye shrugged and looked around at the other more seasoned troopers of the 501st. "Maybe a bit." He sighed. "It's just—weird. I've never been on a mission before, let alone without Rex. I don't know what to do."

Slicer laid a hand on his shoulder. "No matter what happens," he promised, "I'll be right next to you. You won't be alone."

Kaye smiled weakly. "Thanks."

 _"We're approaching the site,"_ the pilot announced over the ship's comms.

Kaye looked around at all the other troopers. They were talking and joking around inside the small carrier ship. The interior was dim and not very well lit, making it hard to see. The rumble of engines could be heard in the background. Rex had always talked about how all clone troopers were brothers, but Kaye felt anything except connected to the to the others. He felt like he didn't belong.

The ship landed with a small thump that shook all its passengers. Both doors opened and everyone started unloading crates. Kaye tried to grab a particularly heavy crate, but he couldn't seem to get a grip on the smooth sides. Sighing, he focused on lifting the crate with the Force. He'd done it before. He allowed himself a small smile as the crate rose a few feet off the ground. It floated over to where the other crates sat and dropped to the ground.

Slicer just stood there, shocked. "How did you do that?!" he asked.

Kaye shrugged and picked up a couple more with the Force. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just do it."

Slicer just shook his head.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Most of the clones just lounged around on crates or helped scout out the enemy territory. Kaye and Slicer sat off to the side, safely hidden be several boulders. Kaye was levitating small rocks just for fun. Slicer was busy typing on a datapad. He paused to watch his friend stack those rocks on top of each other in a precarious way and shook his head with amazement.

"Your starting to seem more like a Jedi than a clone," Slicer said with a smile.

Kaye looked up, unintentionally letting his tower fall. "What's a Jedi?" he asked.

Slicer was about to give his best explanation when he heard the sound of a ship. He and Kaye peeked over the boulder to see a second transport land. Curious, Kaye vaulted over the boulder with surprising agility and ran to join the group of clones already gathering around. Slicer was not far behind.

The door to the transport slid open and several more troopers poured out. Obi-won Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and his Padawan, Ahsoka followed. Kaye couldn't help but stare. They didn't wear all the same armor. They didn't wear armor at all. Their clothes weren't very elaborate. They all had a strange cylinder hanging from a belt. Was it another commlink? A blaster? It piqued his interest.

"Come to attention," Commander Cody ordered.

The line of clone troopers straightened and came to attention. **(IDK what you would call that. I'm not in the military!)** Cody and Obi-won walked down the line, carefully inspecting each trooper. There was something about Obi-won, Kaye knew, that seemed different. He was so sure of himself, yet so reliant on the Force. Kaye thought it was just a tool, but Obi-won seemed to rely on it.

After the inspection, Obi-won moved to speak privately to Commander Cody and Anakin. Kaye relaxed, but still couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the Jedi. One of them—Ahsoka—caught him looking at her. She smiled, but Kaye was already behind the boulders he was hiding by earlier.

* * *

"Slicer," Kaye whispered. "Slicer!"

Slicer moaned something in his sleep and rolled over on his mat.

Kaye gently kicked him and whispered his name once more.

Slicer groaned and sat up, looking around blearily. "What'd you wake me up for?" he asked.

Kaye looked around the small quarters and shivered. "I thought I heard something," he admitted.

Slicer looked around. "All I see are sleeping clones like _I'm_ supposed to be doing." He yawned and curled back up on his mat. "Go back to bed."

Kaye shivered once more. He knew he wasn't wrong. He heard it—no, he felt it. Something touched his mind and made him feel cold. Of all things, he felt cold from the inside out. Another noise made him jump. he turned toward the noise and froze. A dark figure hidden by a cloak was kneeling beside him, only inches away. Several battle droids were stationed at the entrance, blocking out the moonlight that shone through the doorway. He didn't know who the figure was, but she was holding a cylinder much like the Jedi's. Kaye reached for his blaster, but the figure pulled it away from his hand. She chuckled and pulled back the hood. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

"Such a handsome face," she crooned. "I am truly glad to meet you, even under these conditions."

Kaye sat there, to stunned to speak. He slowly reached for a rock and chucked it in Slicer's direction.

Slicer sat up, angry. "Kaye, I thought I told you to— "he stopped short when he saw the unexpected visitor. Terrified, he grabbed for his blaster and was about to sound the alarm when the visitor ignited her lightsaber. She held the red blade up to Kaye's neck.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she told him.

Kaye froze, eyeing the blade. He could feel the heat radiating from the weapon. He made a mental note to avoid the cylinders.

Blaster bolts came streaking past. The visitor turned to the source and deflected the bolts with her blade. She smiled as they sizzled off her lightsaber and could sense the shooter's obvious dread. Before anyone could move, she and her prisoner disappeared into the night.

 **Alright! Whew, glad I got that out there! Sorry for the cliffhanger.**

 **Is there a clone named Slicer? I am a new Clone Wars fan, so I wouldn't know. PLEASE REVIEW! I need to know so I can change it just in case.**

 **May the Force be with you!**

 **-Spector7 out!**


	3. A Date With Death

**Sorry I've disappeared for a while but life happened so I'm doing a spam update on all my fics and this is one of them!**

 **And yes, I rewrote the summary because I want to change the focus of the book. Let me know what you think about it!**

 **Hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

 **** WARNING—SOME TORTURE/BLOOD/MATURE THEMES ****

Kaye felt it before he saw it.

Cold, sharp metal stabbing into his back. Thick, durasteel cuffs clamped around his wrists. A tight collar clamped around his neck, crackling with energy.

He panicked.

The hoarse scream tore through his throat fell deaf to his ears as he struggled against the cuffs. The sharp metal dug into his back, slicing deep gashes through his skin like a knife through butter. Warm blood trickled down his back and from his wrists, mixing with the dank water pooling beneath him. Electricity sparked from the collar on his neck and crackled, coursing through his veins. He screamed again.

Voices echoed down the hall, causing Kaye to momentarily stop struggling.

One, female, was laughing in a chilling tone. The other sounded metallic and angry, peppered by hoarse coughing. Slowly, they faded as the two speakers strode down the hall and out of sight.

Kaye whimpered to himself, falling forward onto the hard sticky floor as the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Hot tears trickled down his cheeks as his labored breathing echoed in the dark cell. "R-rex," he whispered through cracked lips, "d-daddy..." His eyes closed as unconsciousness claimed him.

Asaj Ventress didn't really care for clones. They were mindless bags of meat the Republic spent like credits. They were the reason the Separatists hadn't won the war.

But this one was different.

A thin but genuine smile crossed her dark lips as the assassin strode into the bloody cell, balancing a tray of food and drink in one hand.

" _We need information on the Republic,"_ Dooku had told her and General Grievous as they bowed respectfully in his presence. _"No more. Once you get what you need, kill him. Use any means necessary."_

The order had meant nothing to her at first. He was just a clone. He was expendable.

He was ugly.

She grimaced as she picked the rows and rows of ugly clone troopers. Big, bald heads as shiny as Kashyyk's moons or dark hair cut in a dumb hairstyle with even dumber armor. They were idiots, and yet somehow stood between her and victory every time she tried to topple the Republic.

If this clone was as dumb and bald as most, she would have no problem mauling him with her slim, crimson blade until he spilled what he knew.

Her tongue licked her sharp, rattataki teeth in gleeful anticipation of the blood and gore that was to follow. The dark force inside her pulsed excitedly as she imagined the pained screams and begging that was to come.

She loved it.

The cell door slid open with a mechanical hiss and Ventress daintily stepped down the slippery stairs into the cell. Her lightsaber ignited with an echoing snap-hiss, illuminating the room in a red light.

She stopped.

In front of her, curled up on the floor, was not a clone trooper. It wasn't a bald old man clad in clone trooper armor. It wasn't some dumb rookie with a stupid hairstyle. It wasn't even a Jedi knight or Padawan youngling.

He wasn't ugly at all. He was...beautiful.

Dark blue hair matted with blood fell across the floor, surrounding his perfectly shaped head. Sharp cheekbones jutted modestly from his tan, bloody skin. Long lashes and small lids hid what Ventress assumed were beautifully bright, spirited eyes.

His clone armor had been removed before he was thrown into the cell and the top half of his Republic-issued black jumpsuit had been torn off. Ventress couldn't help but stair at the beautifully tanned chest marred by faded scars and fresh cuts. Perfectly sculpted muscles wrapped around his arms and chest down to his covered legs.

The assassin smiled despite herself and set down the tray of food and drink. Crouching next to him, she traced the deep grooves and scars of his chest with a pleased hum. "Who are you?" she whispered with an air of curiosity. As her thin fingers tangled around the hard muscles of her prisoner's arms, she brushed a small patch of warmth. Her breath caught in her throat as she brushed away his silky hair to reveal a small, pulsing tattoo of some sort of skull. As she caressed the strange marking, aurabesh lettering slowly surfaced, as if some invisible man was writing it on his soft skin.

" _Heart of fire, soul of ice,"_ it read in Basic.

A toothy smile of delight spread across Ventress' face. "You're full of surprises," she purred, "aren't you?" her cold fingers traced across his face.

She was feeling things she had never felt before. She felt a deep, excited stirring in the very depths of her heart.

She wanted him.

 _Badly._

Her prisoner groaned in pain as his bleeding limbs shifted, causing the chains and cuffs to clatter loudly. Blue eyes fluttered open and quickly shot around the room stopping to rest on her. They flashed angrily as a loud ringing filled the room. Kaye stumbled to his feet, pushing Ventress back with surprising power, and backed away into a wall.

"No need to be afraid," Ventress purred with the voice of a snake charming its victim as it salivated over the taste of fresh meat and the excitement of the killing bite. "I'm not going to kill you."

Kaye's face twisted into an expression of both fear and anger as the shock collar and cuffs clattered to the ground. More symbols appeared across his chest and crept down his arms and up his neck. Symbols of skulls, Ventress noted, of suns, vines, and fire. Of ice, of darkness, of light.

" _Heart of fire,"_ a million voices whispered in her ear, " _soul of ice."_

Her prisoner's eyes flashed as he stared at her. "Where am I," he asked in a strangely emotionless voice echoing with power.

Ventress hesitated. This wasn't a clone trooper, but he wasn't a Jedi either. No, this was something new. This was something she had to keep to herself. "You're safe," she said after a moment of pondering. "You are my guest."

The voices slowly faded as many of the tattooed symbols retreated back into his skin. Many different emotions flashed through his eyes, each disappearing as quickly as the first. After some consideration, he nodded took a step towards her. "Thank you," he responded in a voice tinged slightly with fear. "Th-that's very kind of you."

Ventress smirked. "Of course it is," she responded curtly before striding out of the cell. She smiled darkly to herself. She would get the information Dooku wanted, yes, but she would gain something more.

She would take Kaye and teach him the ways of the dark side. She would twist him until the kind clone trooper and Republic loyalty all been drained away, leaving only a powerful dark disciple in his wake.

Yes, this evening would be her date with power.

Kaye sat down in his cell, head in his hands.

 _What just happened?_ A million questions rushed through his head, each louder than the first.

 _What are you going to do?_

Kaye's head shot up and he looked around the cell frantically, heart pounded. Was that Rex? Did he just hear Rex's voice?

 _What are you going to do?_ He heard Rex ask him again.

Standing up, Kaye felt a renewed sense of strength and power course through his veins. He knew what he was going to do. He was going to learn Ventress' secrets and use them to get stronger. He was going to escape and go back to the Republic. He was going to steal Separatist secrets.

He was going to date death.

 **WOOOOOOOW that was a long update my fingers hurt! Anyway if you haven't already follow, favorite, and review! I will update again when I can.**

 **Also, who is your favorite Clone Wars era Jedi?**

 **May the Force be with you!**

 **-Spector7 out**


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